Flag Bearers
by LapisLucius42
Summary: One-shot. An idea I wanted to share.


Smoke filled the city. Buildings were in ruin. This was the state of Zootopia: a war zone. The city had been invaded, conquered, and occupied for years. Many mammals were lost. Others fled the city or went into hiding. Now on two fronts, mammals that were once its citizens closed in on the city and surrounded to reclaim it. The Battle of Zootopia was fierce and last for days as the mammals pushed toward City Hall, where the heart of the invaders were.

At City Hall, barricades and bodies littered the surrounding area while the army of mammals occupied said area. Inside the building, more of the same filled the halls and rooms. While the leaders for the invaders were nowhere to be found, victory could still be claimed and no time was wasted on doing so. In the dome at the top of City Hall, a group of mammals were fighting the the last of the invaders. Among them were Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, ZPD's first rabbit and fox officers conscripted into the war.

To most, it would seem like they were fighting alongside each other the entire time from what they heard about them. In truth, they had only been fighting alongside for a day. Judy and Nick had been separated long before the main offensive to reclaim Zootopia took place. Even while it was going on, the two were fighting on different fronts. While away from each other, they wondered if the other would survive, how much being separated would affect them, and would they be the same after witnessing the horrors of war should they reunite. Judy and Nick pushed those thoughts away and used the thoughts of the other to make the reunion possible. Only during the Battle of Zootopia did they finally reunite and it was a tearful one.

Now, Judy and Nick along with the rest of their fellow mammals stood at the large opening to the dome where they saw the flag of the invaders flying over the city with its last defenders standing between. Just before engaging, a wave of artillery rained down on the open area that was followed by two more waves. The mammals steered clear of the blast and watched as the last of their enemy was destroyed. After the blast cleared, nothing remained between them and the flag pole before them.

The bearer for the flag of Zootopia that was with them was shot dead prior to the artillery fire. Throughout the battle, the flag switched through many bearers as a result of their untimely deaths. Now the flag of Zootopia lay on the floor next to its previous bearer, waiting to be picked up and planted. Finally, Judy took it upon herself to be the new flag bearer and walked over to the object. She untied the rope that kept it wrapped around the pole and managed to lift it up despite its bigger size. Judy held the flag with both paws in front of her and began walking to the flag pole.

Her fellow mammals, including Nick, watched proudly as the bunny who defied all expectations was about to reclaim Zootopia back to their rightful rulers. They could not be more happy for this moment and were not going to interrupt her. Nick watched Judy hop over the small wall that divided the area between them and the flag pole. As Judy proceeded forward, Nick's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. Before the others knew it, he was sprinting forward as fast as he could.

Judy managed to jump over the small wall with the flag still in possession. Just one more step down before victory can be claimed. That small step was considered a small drop for Judy. As she approached the small drop, her eyes widened in horror as a single soldier appeared from hiding, somehow managing to avoid the waves of artillery fire. The solider raised a pistol and aimed the barrel at Judy. She did not have a chance to respond.

 _BANG!_

"JUDY!"

Judy was hit, but not directly because the soldier's aim was off from the desperate attempt. Though the bullet merely grazed her shoulder, the caliber of the bullet still delivered heavy firepower for the delicate bunny. She stumbled forward off the small drop, letting go of the flag in the process. She fell to the floor breathing heavily from being shot and her vision a little blurry, but still alive. Judy looked at the soldier, expecting the end. To her fortune, the solider stumbled backwards from the pistol's recoil and Judy noticed that he was actually wounded from the artillery fire. Before she knew it, Nick appeared right beside her with his teeth bared and a machete in his right paw.

The soldier saw the fox appear alongside the rabbit after recovering from the recoil, but that was not what terrified him. He looked into the eyes of the fox and saw the righteous fury burning in them. Despite being sworn to defend to the last breath and not knowing the history between the two, the solider knew he had just made a big mistake in awaking a sleeping giant.

Filled with a rage that could almost be defined as savage, Nick charged forward at the poor soul while he stumbled to get up. The soldier stood up just in time to meet his fate. With the machete raised in his right paw, Nick brought it down with full force, slashing the left shoulder and spilling blood. He then raised it again and slashed the right shoulder, spilling blood as well. The second slash caused the solider to cry in pain and turn his back toward Nick. Nick grabbed the solider with his left paw and impaled the machete straight through the abdomen. One last cry was heard as the soldier dropped the pistol.

Nick removed the machete and kicked the solider forward, watching the body tumbled onto the roof. Nick looked back to see Judy crawling forward and struggling to get up with the flag. He quickly rushed over to her and helped her up. "You can make it, Judy. You are always strong." Once Judy was standing up, Nick looked at the flagpole that was flying the abomination. "The least I can do is prepare the way." He thought. Nick rushed to the flag and with cry, he cut the rope that held the flag up. The flag and its rope fell from the pole down below. Nick turned back to Judy to see her with the flag pole in paws and beckoned her forward. "It's your turn Judy."

She nodded and limped forward. Judy could hear her fellow mammals behind chanting their war cry as she inched closer. She glanced to the side to see the body laying lifeless on the roof before continue forward. Judy stopped right next to Nick and in front of the flag pole. "Nick…" She looked at him.

Nick's face turned to worry as he wondered what was wrong.

She smiled at him. "I need help."

It took a moment for Nick to realize what she meant. He responded with a smile of his own. "Sly bunny."

Nick grabbed the flag pole and together they raised it up. At the sound of the war cry, they planted the flag of Zootopia into the sand bags that covered that part of the roof. Judy and Nick took few steps back and watched as the flag of Zootopia proudly flew above City Hall. Reactions from the forces below could be heard from where they are and they were one of excitement and joy.

Judy stood alongside Nick with her arm around him, helping her stand up. Tears began to form in Judy's eyes and she hugged Nick with all her might despite her wound, crying into his chest.

"Thank you for saving me Nick." She muffled.

"Even after what you saw me do?" Nick was still concerned with what he did back there.

She stopped crying long enough to look up at him. "Yes, because I would be dead then. You saved me and that's all it matters."

Nick finally relaxed and continued hugging her. "Your welcome Carrots."

Judy sniffled, causing Nick to chuckle.

"You're still my same emotional bunny."

Judy chuckled in return. Even after everything they've been through, he still can tease her.

"And you're still my same annoying fix."

They looked at each others eyes for a moment.

"I missed you Nick."

Nick let it pause before responding. "I missed you too Judy."

After being separated from each other for years and so many worrying thoughts for each other, Judith Laverne Hopps and Nicholas Piberius Wilde were finally reunited again, and they celebrated the occasion by being the ones to claim the victory for Zootopia. A moment etched forever in the history of Zootopia and in their memories.

* * *

 **Author's notes: My first one-shot. This was inspired from the ending for the mission Downfall in Call of Duty World At War. Plot bunnies forced me to write it out.**

 **Try listening to the soundtrack for scene while reading this. I know I did during the writing process.**

 **I'm not sure if City Hall in Zootopia has a dome but for this one-shot it does.**

 **This is something Nick would probably do to protect Judy, albeit on a less violent scale.**

 **I may decide to write the full backstory once I figured out the details for the plot and finish my other story.**


End file.
